Chapter 88

Ps.89:1. Psalm of the mind of Etham the Israelite. In this psalm, the Prophet predicts the birth of Christ from the seed of David, His kingdom and the saving suffering that He endured for us. The psalm is written “of the mind” according to the special need of the spiritual mind to understand the depth of its secrets. And about Etham, that he was also a Prophet, is clearly stated in the previous psalm. Ps.88:2. I will sing of Your mercy, O Lord, forever. What are these mercies of the Lord shown to us that we should sing about? Is it not those who have overthrown the principalities and powers and the very power of the devil, and we are freed from sin and death? I will proclaim Your truth with my mouth to generation and generation. The Father's Truth is the Son, Whom the saints carry in their mouths from generation to generation. These speeches are pronounced as if by the Apostolic face. Ps.88:3. Thou hast declared: mercy will be created forever. You, Master, have deigned to give the promise that great and wonderful mercy will continually be created forever. This means: it will be built or erected. For what is created is, as it were, erected and restored. Such is the salvation and grace given by Christ. Just as the mercy of God builds people, so the truth prepares holy powers. Just as salvation through Christ is called mercy and grace, so again is the truth called (in heaven and on earth), which was raised even to heaven by blood. Ps.88:4. I have made a covenant with My chosen ones, i.e. Abraham and Jacob; for he gave them promises about Christ, according to what was said: “and all the tribes of the earth will be blessed in your seed” (Gen. 22:18, 28:14). I swore to David my servant. When did you swear? Is it not then, as he said to him: “And it shall come to pass, when thy days are fulfilled, that thou shalt sleep with thy fathers,” another shall rise from thy seed, “Who shall be from thy womb, and I will prepare His kingdom for ever: He shall build the house of My name, and I will rule His kingdom for ever. I will be His Father, and He will be My Son” (2 Samuel 7:12–14)? Ps.88:6. The heavens will confess Your wonders. He says this because Christ was born, and the Angels preach the good news to the shepherds, saying: “For we are born this day... Christ the Lord, in the city of David” (Luke 2:11), and many others appeared Ps.88:7. For who in the clouds can be equal to the Lord? Although the Only Begotten became a man, he descended to free exhaustion and took on the form of a slave; however, even in this state, He is incomparably higher than everyone, even the heavenly Powers, because they are in official rank, and He is the Lord of all and the Lord. Even “the sons of God” no one will be like Him. They themselves testify to this, saying: “We have all received from His fulfillment” (John 1:16). Therefore, He gives as God, and those are enriched by what they receive from Him. Ps.88:8. We glorify God in the council of saints, great and terrible. Just as the foolish are tempted, seeing Him in the form of a servant and hearing that He says: “I am the Truth” (John 14:6), and: “before even Abraham was not, I am” (John 8:58): so on the contrary, the saints glorify Him, and call Him great and terrible. And this is clear from the fact that Peter, as if through the mouth of everyone, cries out: “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16); and also everyone, when he rebuked the sea and the winds, exclaimed: “Truly you are the Son of God” (Matthew 14:33). Ps.88:9. Thou art strong, Lord, and Thy truth is all around Thee. Ps.88:10. You rule over the power of the sea. This word shows that the One who, in the form of a slave, first brought into being a wet essence, that He set the boundary of the sea with sand, and said to it: “You will come to this, and you will not pass” (Job 38:11). And he proved that this was true by rebuking the sea and the winds when he sailed with his disciples. You calm the disturbance of its waves. Ps.88:11. You have humbled the proud, like a plague. For He bound the strong and proud, and gave His disciples “power to tread on the serpent, and on the scorpion, and on all the power of the enemy” (Luke 10:19). Ps.88:12. Yours is the heavens, and Yours is the earth. He is both the Lord of the sea and the Creator of the heavens and all the earth. You founded the universe and its fulfillment. Ps.88:13. You created the north and the sea: Tabor and Hermon. This means the four countries of the universe: the north - the midnight country, the sea - the western (because Scripture calls the west the sea), Mount Hermon - the midday land, and Mount Tabor - the east. Ps.88:14. Your muscle with strength. Your arm, Master, is revealed to everyone with power. Although He became man and was like us, the superiority of His greatness was clear. And this means what was said: may Thy hand be strengthened, and Thy right hand exalted. Ps.88:16. Blessed are the people who lead the cry. Having preached the incarnation of the Only Begotten, he rightly pleases those who have learned His mystery. This means singing a song of victory to Him. For shouting is a song over fallen enemies. He fought for us and defeated the opposing forces. Lord, in the light of Your face they will go, Ps.88:17. and they will rejoice in Your name. He blesses His holy Apostles, because in His name and His power they did everything, no matter what wondrous thing they did. Ps.88:18. And in Your favor our horn will be exalted. “Horn” refers to glory. Therefore, as if turning to the Father, he says: since You deigned to send the Only Begotten, our glory has been restored by this, because we have become glorified, “I will rise with Christ” (Col. 3:1) and reign with Him. Ps.88:20. Then You spoke in the vision of Your son. “Then,” that is, anciently in prophetic visions, “thou didst say unto Thy sons,” meaning those called to be worthy of sonship. What did he say if not this: “put help on the strong”? And this meant saying: I have given strong help, so that those who are weak and dominated by Satan can resort to the Strong One. And the Mighty One, whom the Father has given to help us, is without a doubt Christ; for He is the Lord of hosts. I have lifted up the chosen one from My people. Ps.89:21. I have found David my servant. Consider Christ from the seed of David, Who is called the Elect: because “God has highly exalted Him” (Phil. 2:9). The psalmist also calls Him David, because He is from the seed of David, and He also calls Him a servant, because He appeared in the form of a servant. With My holy oil I anointed Him. When He, about whom it is said: “God is the Word” (John 1:1), was born in the flesh from a woman, and man came into existence, remaining, as he was, God; then, having accepted judgment for your sake, he was called Christ. For the Word, who is God and the eternal King, took to Himself what is ours, so that we might be enriched by what is His. Ps.89:22. For My hand will intercede for Him. The Savior said: “The works which the Father has given me that I should do, these works testify of Me, that He sent Me” (John 5:36). And again: “I say nothing about myself: but the Father abides in me, it is he who does the works” (John 14:10). This is what the Father now says about Him: My hand will protect Him, and My might will strengthen Him. Ps.89:23. Nothing will be enough for the enemy to attack Him. Although they said: “Come, let us kill Him, and keep His property” (Matthew 21:38); but this plan of Satan and the Jews was unsuccessful, and their enterprise turned out to be a failure; because the Savior rose on the third day, having trampled death and plundered hell, ascended to the Father and God who is in heaven, and is “at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty on high” (Heb. 1:3), ruling over everything together with Him who gave birth to Him. Therefore, what is said is true: “The enemy will not succeed in attacking Him.” Ps.89:24. I will cut off His enemies from before Him; because they were betrayed to the Roman army, and died in the end. Ps.89:25. And My truth and My mercy are with Him. “Truth” refers to the service of spirit and truth, which Christ introduced among us, according to what was said to the Samaritan woman: “The Spirit is God: and whoever worships Him is worthy to worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:24). And God did “mercy” to us not through anyone else, but through His only begotten Son. For by Him alone we were taught to bow in spirit and in truth, and were shown mercy after death was destroyed and corruption was removed. And His horn shall be exalted in My name. For by the names most fitting of the Father, the Son himself is glorified. For example: The Father is true God, and likewise the Son; because He is the Truth and the Life. The Father is, and is called so, by nature: so is the Son. For He Himself says: “I am the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25). He said this to His Father: “All your essence is mine, and yours is mine” (John 17:10). Ps.89:26. And I will lay His hand on the sea. “Sea,” as we said above, means the western country, and “rivers” means the country between the rivers or the east. Therefore, he says that His work will extend to the whole universe. The hand of Christ rests on the sea, and His right hand rests on the rivers. However, if it wants, the sea will become a river, and also the river, if it observes the river flowing from its belly, will become a sea of ​​living water. Ps.89:27. He will call upon Me: Thou art My Father, My God. And here again the incarnate one economically calls the Father His God, saying: “I will ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God” (John 20:17). For the Prophet speaks about Him when, prophesying that “a Child was born,” he called Him “the mighty God, the Father of the age to come” (Is. 9:6). Ps.88:29. I will keep My mercy and My covenant with Him forever. “To Him” - that is, to the people who believed through Him. “Grace” refers to the remission of sins by faith; and “testament” means new, which he calls faithful, that is, reliable, firm and abiding; because the first covenant ceased due to its weakness and uselessness, since the Law did not bring anything to perfection. Ps.88:30. And I will place His seed for ever and ever. For the name of Christians and the power of the gospel ministry will not cease, but rather will continue uninterruptedly and endlessly. Ps.89:36. I have sworn one oath about My Holy One, lest I lie to David? This is similar to what was said elsewhere: “The Lord swears to David in truth, and it will not be rejected” (Ps. 131:11). Ps.88:37. His seed will endure forever. The seed of David refers to the Christ born from the seed of David according to the flesh. He “will endure forever.” For it is impossible for Him who is God and truly the Son of God not to be completely and certainly eternal. And His throne is like the sun before Me. By the “throne” of Christ we mean the Church, because Christ rests in it. Therefore, the Church of Christ will illuminate and enlighten the heavenly places, always abiding, like the sun and the moon. For the psalm says this: and His throne is like the sun before Me, Ps.88:38. and as the moon is perfect forever: and the witness in heaven is faithful. Ps.88:39. But You rejected and humiliated You, You were indignant at Your anointed One. The blessed Prophets speak about what happened at the honorable cross. Therefore, as if they are turning the speech to the Father and God: You made a promise that the seed of David will endure forever, and “his throne is like the sun... and the moon”; but “thou hast rejected and humiliated, thou hast been indignant at Thy anointed one.” It is said: “you rejected and humiliated” instead of: “allowed to be rejected and humiliated”; because it was not the Father who rejected and humiliated His Son, but rather the Jews did this, however, with the permission of God and the Father. And in this sense it is said: “Who... did not spare His own Son, but for us... gave Him up to eat” (Rom. 8:32). Ps.88:40. Thou hast destroyed the covenant of Thy servant. He slowed down, he says, by the fulfillment of the promises given about Him; for in the meantime He suffered. He explains how he delayed, saying: “Thou hast destroyed the covenant of Thy servant.” You gave a promise that will endure forever; - and such was Your covenant about Him. But the Jews crucified Him, and He was counted with the dead; because he suffered and was crucified. So, Thou hast ruined the covenant of Thy servant, thou hast desecrated His sanctuary on earth. He says, “You have cast His glory down to the ground.” Since He went out to suffer, the lawless Jews considered Him a simple man. But He did not remain dead, according to the words of the Prophet, “there is freedom in the dead” (Ps. 87:6); and His suffering did not cause Him any dishonor, but on the contrary, He became more glorified; because he overthrew the one who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and freed the human race. However, the Prophets speak of what is happening before their eyes. Ps.89:41. Thou hast destroyed all His strongholds. He calls His holy Apostles “strongholds” and fences, who all abandoned Him and fled in fear. Why is it said: Thou hast laid down His fear. Ps.89:42. I will plunder Him... Ps.89:43. Thou hast made all His enemies glad. For they rejoiced and nodded their heads at Him, seeing Him nailed on the tree. Ps.88:44. Thou hast turned away the help of His sword; because he did not immediately punish those who crucified the only begotten Son of God and the Father, who were worthy of extreme punishment, but, out of great love for mankind, he also granted them the opportunity to repent through baptism. That is why it is said that “he turned away the help of His sword.” It says “turned away” instead of “kept”. Ps.89:45. You have ruined Him from His purification. It says “ruined” instead of “allowed”. Therefore, he allowed him from purification, or made him believe that He was pure, while we were recognized as a villain, condemned as a sinner, “and counted with the wicked” (Is. 53:12). You have cast His throne to the ground. When he suffered in the flesh and became “freedom among the dead”; Then those who were crucified thought that suffering had put an end to everything, that both His being and His name had completely ceased. That is why the Psalmist explains the assumptions of those who crucified him, saying: “Thou hast cast down His throne to the earth.” Ps.89:47. How long, Lord, do you turn away from the end? Your anger will kindle like a fire, that is, how long will the daring attempts of the Jews plotting to crucify our Only Begotten and Savior have power? Symmachus translates: “How long, O Lord, are you hiding in the end? Your wrath will burn like fire.” That is, how long will You, Master, not deign to look at our illnesses, not appear and put an end to disasters? But, like fire, you kindle anger by remembering our sins. Ps.88:48. Remember my cue. “Into incorruption” You created man, in Your image You created him (Wis. Sol. 2:23); but as a result of deception he fell into corruption. Therefore, grant him incorruption, so that Your creation may be saved, for which it was created. Ps.88:49. Who is the man who will live and not see death? No one, he says, will overcome death, and will deliver his soul from the hand of hell, if You, Master, do not grant him resurrection. Ps.88:50. Where is the essence of Your ancient mercy, Lord? It calls the ancient mercies of God the predetermined restoration into incorruption before the creation of the world. Ps.89:51. Remember, Lord, the reproach of Your servants. Ps.89:52. Thy enemies, O Lord, have reproached Me, saying that the promises given about Me to the nations were false (these promises were that they would be saved and delivered from death and sin), and they reviled them when they saw My death, which is why they called the promises vain; then I ask You to remember this. For blaspheming the change of Thy Christ. And His change is His death and blood, this redemptive price given for the salvation of the world. This is why they reviled Him, supposing that He had been overcome by death. But he did not remain dead “in the dead there is freedom,” but rather rose again on the third day. That is why the psalm, instead of a seal, adds the words Ps.89:53. Blessed be the Lord forever: be, be, as if He had already risen and ascended into heaven, and is blessed or confessed forever with His Father. You might be interested in: